Buttonhole-sewing machine



April 16, 1929. J w z 1,709,726

BUTTONHOLE SEWING MACHINE Filed Aug. 31, 1927 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 Fig.1.

as 3.9 2286 I l j o 1 1 1, I

lnven'for. LJOhI'] Kiewicg ATTyS.

April 16, 1929. J. KIEWICZ BUTTONHOLE SEWING MACHINE Filed Aug. 31, 19273 Sheets-Sheet 2 5 m A 7 m k w nK nm p 16, 19 9 J. KIEWICZ 1,709,726

3UTTONHOLE SEWING MACHINE Filed Aug. 31, 1927 :5 Sheets-Sheet 3invenror. K i ewi 7 MIIM ATTys Patented Apr. Iii, 192$.

UNITED STATES FATENT QFFKIE.

JOHN KIEWICZ, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNGR TO THE REECE BUTTONHOLEMACHINE COLIPANY, OF BOSTON, Ii'IASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATION OF MAINE.

BUTTONHOLESEWING MACHINE.

Application filed August 31, 1927.

This invention relates to buttonhole sewing machines, and particularlyto the cutter for cutting the buttonhole slit.

In those buttonhole sewing machines which are designed to sew abuttonhole with an eye, the cutter is formed with a straight cuttingedge which terminates at one end in a more or less circular portionadapted to cut the eye of the buttonhole. In thus cutting the eye, thiseye-forming portion of the cutter cuts or dies out from the cloth asmall piece. The buttonhole cutter is usually made with a deliverypassage extending from the eye-forming portion of the cutter and throughwhich the pieces of cloth are delivered as they are cut out.

Itsomet-imes happens, however, that when the cutter is raised aftercutting a buttonhole, the small piece or fragment of cloth which hasbeen cut out in forming the eye, will not be retained in the passage ofthe cutter, but may remain in place in the cloth from which it was out.If this occurs, such piece or fragment of cloth is likely to be sewedinto the buttonhole, thus fori'ning an imperfect product.

It is one of the objects of my present invention to provide means forpositively removing the pieces or fragments of cloth as they are cut, soas to obviate the possibility of such pieces becoming sewed into thebuttonhole.

I attain this obj cct by providing an ejector member, which is actuatedat the proper time to force positively each piece or fragment of clothinto or through the delivery passage.

In order to give an understanding of my invention, I haveillustrated inthe drawings a selected embodiment thereof which will now be described,after which the novel features will be pointed out in the appendedclaims.

p In the drawings, Fig. 1 is a fragmentary sectional view of a portionof a buttonhole sewing machine embodying my invention and showing thecutter raised.

Fig. 2 is a similar view showing the cut- :ter in cutting position andillustrating the action of the ejector member.

Fig. 3 is a sectional view on the line 3-3 Fig. 1 showing the cutterblock in plan View.

Fig. 4 is an underneath view of the cutter blade.

Serial No. 216,612.

Fig. 5 illustrates the character of buttonhole silt which is formed bythe cutter.

F ig. 6 is a section on the line 66 Fig. 2.

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary perspective View of the upper end of the ejectormember.

Inasmuch as the present invention relates simple to the buttonholecutter of a buttonhole sewing machine, I have not thought it necessaryto illustrate the complete machine herein, but have shown only such partof a buttonhole sewing machine as is necessary to enable my invention tobe understood.

In the drawings 1 indicates portions of the frame of a buttonhole sewingmachine which carries the stitch-forming mechanism, the latter, however,not being shown herein. The machine illustrated is of that type in whichthe portion of the stitch-forming mechanism which controls the underthread is carried by a turret, indicated generally at 2 that isrotatable in bearings 3 carried by the frame 1, said turret havingmounted thereon the usual throat plate 4, which is provided with asewing opening through which the upper needle operates. The turret isgiven a half rotation at the eye end of the buttonhole for the purposeof carrying the stitching around the eye, as will be understood by thoseskilled in the art. The rotation of the turret is secured in usual wayfrom a vertical shaft 44 carried by the frame 1 and which is geared to apinion 5 on the turret as usual in buttonhole sewing machines.

The buttonhole cutter, which is of usual construction, is shown at 6 andit is carried by a cutter arm 7 pivoted to the frame at 8. Co-operatingwith the cutter 6 is the usual cutter block 9 which is situated beneaththe cloth or work 10 and which supports the latter when the cutter ismaking its cutting stroke. This cutter block 9 is carried by the usualsupport or bracket 11.

The cutter herein shown is of the type usually employed for cutting abuttonhole slit with an eye at one end, said cutter having the straightcutting edge 12 which terminates at one end in a loop portion 13, whichis more or less circular. This cutter will cut a buttonhole slit, suchas shown in Fig. 5, said slit having the straight portion 14 which iscut by the cutting edge 12 and the eye 15 at one end which iscut by theeye forming, portion 13 of the cutter.

or cutting position.

cutter also provided with the usual (lolivery passage 16 which extendsfrom the eye-forming portion 13 upwardly through the cutter and whichcommunicates with another passage 17 formed in the arm 7. 18 indicates areceiving chute which is sooured to the stem of the arm 7 and adapted toreceive the cuttings as they are delivered from the passage 17. Eachtime that the cutter cuts a buttonhole slit in a piece of cloth or ot'er material 10, the eyeformingportion 13 of the cutter will cut out acloth fragment 1.) which will be situated. within the eye-formingportion 13 when the cutter is in its lowered posit-ion.

In order to prevent this cutting or cloth fragment 19 froiufalling outof the passage 16 01 from remaining in the cloth when the cutter israised, I have provided herein means which operative while the cutter isin lowered. or cutting position, to positivcly force the cloth fragmentupwardly into the passage 16 where it will be retained by friction untilit is forced upwardly and outwardly through the passages 16 and 17 byaccumulation of ciiittings beneath it as repeated buttonhole slits arecut. Such means is illustrated. in the form of an ejector member 20which is carried by the cutter block 9 and operates in an opening formedtherein, Thisejector member is normally in its loweredposition below thetop of the cutter block and means are provided whereby when the cutteris in its lowered or cutting position and has cut the cloth fragmentl9from the cloth 10, said ejector memleer is raised, as shown in Fig. 6thereby positively forcing the cloth fragment upwardly into the passage16 where it will be retained by friction. I

Any suitable means for actuating the ejector nie mber 20 maybe employed.In the construction illustrated, said member is actuated by the rotationof the turret which occurs ,while the buttonhole cuttenis in its loweredposition, the turning movement of the turret at this time being for thepurpose ,of restoring the turret to its normal position preparatory tothe beginning of the stitching on the buttonhole, So far as theinvention is concerned, however, the ejector member might be operatedfrom any other moving part of the sewing machine which is operating atthe time the cutter is in its lowered 7 here the ejector member isactuated from the turret, I may employ an actuating lever 21 which ispivoted at 22 to the portion of the frame carrying the turret and whichhas a curved portion 23 that parallels for a distance the periphery ofthe turret. This lever also has a portion 24 extending alongside of thesupport ll and an Lip-standing portion 25 also situated adjacent to thesupport 11. At the upper end of the tip-standing portion 25 is alaterally extending portion 26 which extends throughan opening 27 formedin the support. 11 and which is situated beneath lower end of theejector member 20, said ejector member being acted upon by a spring 30which normally holds itin its lowered p sition, as shown in Fig. 1.

The turret 2 provider on its upper end with a cam portion 28 that isadapted to ei'ig go a roll or stud 29 extending from the lever 23. '.hiscam portion 28 is so p0si tioned that it will engage the stud 29 duringthe rotative movement of the turret which occurs while the cutter is inits lowered or cutting position. The engagement of the cam 28 with thestud 29 will swing the lever 21 upwardly about its pivot thereby causingthe end 26 thereof to engage the ejector member 20 and force the latterupwardly, as shown in Fig. 2. This upward movement of the ejector memberwill, in turn, force the cloth fragment 19 upwardly into the passage 16where it will be held by friction until it moved further upwardly insaid passage by the next cloth fragmentwhich is forced into the passageby the ejector member. As the cloth fragments 19 accumulate in thepas-ssage 16 they are gradually forced outwaidly through the passage 17and on to the chute 18.

My invention, therefore, provides for positively removing caeh clothfragment from the cloth as it is cut and thereby preventing anypossibility that the cloth fragment will remain in the cloth and besewd'into the buttonhole.

he ejector member 20 is shown as having points 31 at its upper end. Theadvantage of this construction is that these points furnish a bettergrip on the cloth fragment and tend to hold the fragment in a positionparallelwi'th the surface of the cutter block as said fragment is forcedupwardly into the passage 16. This reduces the danger that the fragmentwill turn and slip off from the end of the ejector as the latter israised.

I claim:

1. In a buttonhole sewing machine, the combination with a cutting block,of a buttonhole cutter cooperating therewith to cut a buttonhole slit,said cutter having at one end andeye portion for cutting the eye of thebitttonhole, and also having a delivery passage extending from said eyeportion through which are delivered'the cloth fragments cut out bysaideye portion, an'ejector normally situated within the confines of theblock, and means operative while the cutter is closed against the blockfor positively moving the ejector relative to the block thereby to forcesaid cloth fragment into the passage.

2. In abuttonhole sewing machine, the combination with a cutting block,of a buttonhole cutter co-operating therewithto' cut a buttonhole slit,said cutter having an eye portion and a delivery passage extendingtherefrom, an ejector normally situated within the confines of saidblock, and means for positively moving said ejector relative to theblock thereby to force positively into and through said passage thecloth fragment cut out by the eye portion.

3. In a buttonhole sewing machine, the combination with a. cuttingblock, of a buttonhole cutter co-operating therewith to cut a buttonholeslit, said cutter having an eye portion and a delivery passage extendingtherefrom, an ejector member, and cam means to more said memberpositively through the eye portion of the cutter and into said passageas each buttonhole is cut whereby each ctoth fragment cut out by the eyeportion of the cutter is forced positively into said passage.

4. In a buttonhole sewing machine, the combination with a cutting block,of a buttonhole cutter co-operating therewith to cut a buttonhole slit,said cutter having an eye portion and a delivery passage extendingtherefrom, an ejector member normally located entirely within the blockin line with the eye portion of the cutter when the latter is closedagainst the block, and cam means to project said member beyond saidblock and through the eye portion of the cutter thereby to forcepositively the cloth fragment which is cut out by the said eye portioninto said passage.

5. In the buttonhole sewing machine, which is provided with a rotaryturret on which is mounted the under thread mechanism, the combinationwith a cutting block, of a buttonhole cutter co-operating therewith tocut a buttonhole slit, said cutter having an eye portion which cuts fromthe cloth a cloth fragment, and also having a delivery passage, andturret operated means to force said fragment into said passage.

6. In a buttonhole sewing machine, which is provided with a rotaryturret carrying the under thread mechanism, the combination with acutting block, of a buttonhole cutter co-operrting therewith to cut abuttonhole slit, said cutter having an eye portion and a deliverypassage extending from said eye portion, an ejector member operating insaid block to force into said passage the cloth fragment cut out by saideye portion and means to actuate said member by the rotation of theturret.

7. In a buttonhole sewing machine having a cutting block, a buttonholecutter cooperating therewith and provided with an eye-forming portionand a delivery passage leading from said eye-forming portion, and anoscillatory shaft by which the stitchforniing mechanism is given aturning movement, the combination with said cutter, cutting block andshaft, of an ejector operating through the block for forcing into saidpassage the cloth fragment cut out by the eyeforming portion of thecutter, and means to actuate said ejector by the turning movement of theshaft.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification.

JOHN KIEWICZ.

